Brian R Kelly

Category: Professionals

  • Give a Realtor a Personal Referral and with Social Media He Will Sell the World

    Give a Realtor a Personal Referral and with Social Media He Will Sell the WorldGive a Realtor a personal referral and with social media he will sell the world. Play on the Archimedes quote “Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth”. Archimedes was talking about a lever. The new leverage today is social media standing on the internet. Facebook, Twitter and Google+ give everyone long levers. Sales are won with relationship and trust. Communication and relationship are facilitated by social media. The price of admission is time, consistency, and a little money (when you figure out who you are looking for and how to advertise).

    Experienced real estate agents operate on past customer relationships. Trusted referrals will always be the most powerful force for buying behavior. When was the last time you asked about a restaurant or movie? Probably not long ago. How was your experience with that car repair place? Before you spend your money you get references.

    Some date nights at home, call for a movie at Redbox. Before I spend a couple of bucks and more importantly an hour or two of my life, I check a few movie rating app sites for other opinions. Once you trust a source you keep going back to that well.

    I placed a picture of a home on Pinterest. The details intrigued a person who called me and eventually purchased for $340,000. The only cost of the Pinterest post was my time. Was it worth the effort? Was it a lightning strike never to happen again? While you keep asking “what is Return on Investment”, I will keep posting pictures on Pinterest. (or for the lightning strike analogy, I will keep dancing in storms with a golf club above my head)

    Social Media is a product of our desire to connect. Reaching out to care about your customers in relationship is the very essence of real estate. It is the perfect lever in your hands. Social media is a powerful tool to move people and homes, while standing on the internet using email and blogs. Give a Realtor a personal referral and with social media he will sell the world.

  • Chattanooga Real Estate Reflects National Trends

    Chattanooga real estate reflects national trends. Chattanooga is like many mid-western tertiary markets. We do not see the big booms or the steep falls that coastal or some primary markets tend to experience. Chattanooga is a mirror of the national economy. Chattanooga home sales under $100,000 fell in 2013. The national first time home owner market is down. Chattanooga home sales over $200,000 is up. The U.S. luxury home market is doing well. I noticed late summer Chattanooga home sales slowing. Two weeks later I am reading a National Association of Realtors report that U.S. sales are slowing.

    Real estate franchises reflect the same. I grew up in a real estate family. My Dad was an agent in the 70s. Both of my parents are brokers and have owned a company since the early 80s. I have observed closely the real estate franchises of Century 21, Better Homes and Gardens, GMAC, and Prudential. Keller Williams is a brokerage model that has been on the rise nationally over the last 5 years. It has been that way in Chattanooga as well. Real estate may be “local”, but overall national trends seem to play out in Chattanooga.

    Another trend I see is independent real estate firms sprouting. They are growing alongside the wave of technology changes. As I drive down the road I notice more Facebook business window ads. Creative entrepreneurs are serving customers with less overhead. Technology is allowing them to be more direct.

    The change in trends reflects a shift in how we “package” and “market” trust. As an example, the franchise Better Homes and Gardens conveys a message of trust because of its well established magazine and cookbook. Keller Williams (is not a well known household name brand) but it packages bits of ownership to its member agents. It is a way of conveying “trust” to its teammates. I believe technology changes are a result of people demanding more honest and trustworthy personal interaction. Brokerage firms will follow because agents and customers demand it. People are creating new forces to mold the real estate business. The Scenic City is not immune. Chattanooga real estate reflects national trends.

  • Why God Asked Me To Blog Real Estate 45 Days Straight

    Why God Asked Me To Blog Real Estate 45 Days Straight
    Brian Kelly Blogging
    Why God asked me to blog about real estate 45 days straight. To Change me. He is changing my heart and wringing out future “orders”(for the military minded) or business plan (for the entrepreneurs). This is day 35 and the vision is coming into focus. The focus is my heart surgery. It’s all about me. (Keep reading… it may not be what you think) My Maker is asking me to respond. The broken pieces needing attention are the following:

    1. Relationship: The primary being the one with my Maker. I trust Him alone. Like King David, I have proven I cannot trust my own heart. He will always encourage me, heal me, discipline me, love me. Who doesn’t need that Papa in their life? My response is a constant race running to Him.
    2. Responsibility: It’s all about me! No blame on anyone else. It is my deal.
    3. Becoming trustworthy: Three things here are A.) walking the talk, B.) demonstrating care through connectedness, and C.)dependability.
    4. Using gifts: My gifts are quickly initiating action and research. Those gifts need to be used inside a framework of…
    5. Diligence: Words are critical. Jesus is the Word! Reading Isaiah 30 this morning “Words streaming from his mouth, searing indicting words! A torrent of words, a flash flood of words sweeping everyone into the vortex of his words.” Words are powerful. Putting them into universe filtered through hearts is his pleasure. So every day, I search for them and blog.

    There was once an selfish leader who focused on business for business sake. Being number one was a focus regardless of the cost, personal and human. “Business is business”, was his worn phrase applying to recruiting, hiring and firing. He listened to some who promoted positional power and fear to cover personal weaknesses. Sadly and regrettably that flawed man was me.

    Graciously my Maker did not give up. Neither did a few encouragers in my life. So my response? Watch and see, why God asked me to blog real estate 45 days straight.

  • Real Estate Brokerage Model Will Change To Accommodate Trust and Service

    Real Estate Brokerage Model Will Change To Accommodate Trust and Service
    Real Estate Brokerage Must Deliver Service and Trust
    Real estate brokerage model will change to accommodate trust and service. Serving home buyers and sellers with trustworthy service will be a generous business for years to come. How Realtors and brokerage firms get paid will most likely change. Change is being driven by the human need for honest communication and is being facilitated by technology. Here are four observations to make the point.

    One: Ebay and AirBnB. Models that are built on trust. They work because of stamps or stars of trust conveyed by stories of other people.

    Two: Google took inventory of all real property and Zillow Make Me Move is a system that is begging for trust. Ebay and AirBnB proved their models. I hear grown Realtors calling Zillow and Trulia the porn sites of real estate. What? Give me a break – what that tells me is that they are gaining traction and weak agents are becoming fearful. Do not even come back with poor data integrity, etc. (Granted…buyers miss some deals because Zillow updates run slower than MLS) The services still provide value.

    Three: Real estate brokerages can charge much less money if everything they did was compensated. 40-50% of all listings, energy , advertising is wasted on properties where the seller does not have sufficient motivation or ability to sell for the market demand. Sellers would sell “if” they get their price (to buy the next place or simply pay off the lender) Home shoppers not buyers: real estate agents may spend lots of time and gas showing houses to someone that does not “have to” buy a home. There is room for creative agreements with sellers and buyers and their brokerage firms if motivation and non-payment risks are reduced.

    Four: Social Media will push Brokerages to adapt “systems” because buyers and sellers will “connect” more frequently. (Pushing on the door of reducing the costs of finding the “Willing” party) Which will demand a service of transaction liability coordinator. Some title companies may niche and grow what some will see as a growing FSBO (For Sale By Owners) market. On the brokerage side, I can see a DIY brick and mortar model where the seller and buyer pay for a menu of services complementing Zillow. (Similar to local Ebay stores that handle the sale of an item for you for a fee). Agency law, fiduciary responsibility, and liability insurance will need to cover the scope of services rendered.

    [** Learning moment for agent compensation: The local Chattanooga MLS reports that there has been 5,144 homes sold year to date with total volume of $872,600,261. Multiply that number by 5% or 6% and you get roughly $34-$53 Million dollars of commissions. Divide that by 1,500 real estate agents and they average $35,000 each. Multiply $35,000 by 70% split that is nearly $25,000 a piece gross before gas, taxes, advertising , healthcare, etc. Agents are paid 1099 not W-2. You can see the model is pretty efficient, especially when a high percentage of activity is NEVER compensated. Imagine your boss walking in on payroll day and saying let’s roll the dice to see if you are worthy of being paid today!]

    The bottom line is that technology is changing how we serve people in real estate. I used my smart phone to check the level of a door jam, shine a light into a crawl space, check a HUD for closing, and text a message to another customer (All during one home showing). My buyers are calling me with information from Zillow, and Trulia on their phones. They are demanding a response. Please understand, that I am NOT predicting that smart phones will replace real estate agents. Nor, I am predicting a sharp reduction in the “cost” of sale of your home. Ebay does not seem to be making large dents in retail malls, and AirBnb has not toppled Marriott.

    Home buyers and sellers will pay for great service and trust. People will demand it. They may actually pay more than a “typical” commission to sort out all the “noise”. Tech is changing real estate; therefore, the real estate brokerage model will change to accommodate trust and service.

  • Five Easy Steps For New Real Estate Agent Success

    Five Easy Steps For New Real Estate Agent Success
    New Realtor On Job
    Five easy steps for new real estate agent success.

    1. Surrender the process to God, pray, choose a leader and a tribe that shares your values and demonstrates care and success in building warriors. Follow people with a credible track record. One of my teacher/mentors was a good For Sale By Owner or FSBO prospector. He shared stories and would dialog with us to help overcome known objections. Experience is a great teacher. If you can learn from someone else’s failures, you do not have to repeat them.

    2. Make a simple written plan with a mentor. The plan will include dates, specific measurable goals, and your signature. Do not under estimate the power of this exercise. Plan time with God and family first, Then schedule your business. I allowed business to trump my family time (Huge Mistake!) If you have ever kept a journal or diary you know the written word will re-wire your brain.

    3. Prospect, diligently, daily, no exceptions, building trust. The Only thing you have in this business is your reputation and how you handle relationships. Trust is made up of 4 components: Your ability, Your believability, Your connectivity, Your dependability. You will gain ability over time and more quickly than you realize. (ask for help, tell the truth, Don’t “Fake It till You Make It”) Believability is presenting who you advertise. If your high school picture is on your website, your credibility instantly diminishes when the customer meets a different looking person. Your connectivity is crucial. Follow up is the devil for most agents. You start serving the out of state couple on a three day tour and it is difficult to remember the email you told your friend you would send a week ago. Frequently “touching” the circle of people that care about you is powerful.

    4. Promise little, listen, deliver more – Just listen. Listen with your eyes and observe body language and not just the words. Listen to gain understanding of desires and wants. The emotional expression from spoken desires translates into fulfilling them if you can pick up on them.

    5. Weekly track with your mentor, coach or leader – Celebrate incremental successes of prospecting goals met, etc. Your loved ones want to see commission checks, but early in your career you need cheerleaders that celebrate the smaller victories that lead to big checks later. I am thankful to have written over 32 consecutive daily blog posts. Give, give, give, consistent daily good things will pay huge dividends later.

    Do what others are not willing to do on a daily basis. Be consistently planning, prospecting, serving, learning and celebrating. Five easy steps for new real estate agent success.

  • North Chattanooga Leads Area Real Estate Sales Volume 2013

    North Chattanooga Leads Area Real Estate Sales Volume 2013
    North Chattanooga and Walnut Street Walking Bridge (Picture by Klobetime from Flickr Creative Commons)

    North Chattanooga Leads Area Real Estate Sales Volume 2013.  The neighborhoods with double digit sales in the first 8 months are One North Shore, Heritage Landing and Horse Creek Farms.  Downtown Chattanooga is a place to be after hours and weekends.  The story of downtown being revitalized is really pulling development closer in.  For the purposes of this story I am only looking at homes selling $200,000 and greater.  Theses homes enjoyed a 22% increase in sales from 2012 to 2013.

    One North Shore is a condominium development.  Heritage Landing is a gated riverfront community with amenities.  Horse Creek Farms is a more traditional neighborhood with a few sections of housing styles at the base of Signal Mountain.  Here is the table of areas and sales (that are homes sold $200,000 first 8 months of 2013).

    [table id=3 /]

    This data table is pulled from the Chattanooga MLS.  These are Realtor assisted sales only and do not represent all transactions.  The data is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

    North Chattanooga leads area real estate sales volume in 2013.  Downtown Chattanooga is drawing development and home buyers into a new style of living.

    Creative Commons License
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.

  • Chattanooga Hamilton County TN One Million Dollar Home Sales Since 2006

    Chattanooga Hamilton County TN One Million Dollar Home Sales Since 2006
    Hamilton County TN One Million Dollar Home Sales

    Chattanooga Hamilton County TN One Million Dollar Home Sales Since 2006. Hamilton County TN consistently produces annual double digit Realtor assisted sales of homes selling for more than $1,000,000. 138 homes have sold for more than $1,000,000 since January 1, 2006. Let’s take a look at the areas of Hamilton County and the neighborhoods that make up the sales.

    1. Lookout Mountain, TN 28
    2. Riverview 26
    3. Museum Bluffs (condos) 9
    4. The Enclave 7
    5. Horizons 6
    6. Hill Pointe 4

     

    Museum Bluffs, Riverview, Horizons, Hill Pointe, Lookout Mountain, The Enclave

    The sales price as calculated by price per square foot can be grossly misleading. When I average these numbers we are not considering the acreage, views, waterfront, etc. But dang, if they aren’t fun to make quick comparisons. Besides, who doesn’t like a ranking?

    1. Museum Bluffs $455
    2. Riverview $279
    3. Horizons $259
    4. Hill Pointe $235
    5. Lookout Mtn. $201
    6. The Enclave $193

    Lookout Mountain homes feature a historic area and many have brow views. The oldest home sold since January 2006 over $1 Million was built in 1890. Riverview is a community close to Chattanooga Golf and Country Club and downtown Chattanooga. The oldest home in Riverview sold in this time was built in 1900. Museum Bluffs is a downtown riverfront condominium. Museum Bluffs was constructed in 2006. The Enclave is located between Hixson Pike and some lots are on the Tennessee River just south of Lupton City in 37415. Horizons is a newer home community in Ooltewah. It is located off East Brainerd Road past Ooltewah-Ringgold intersection. The oldest home was built in 2001. Hill Pointe is a new development in Red Bank. The oldest home was built in 2007 that sold in this time frame. Both Horizons and Hill Pointe enjoy nice views with decent elevation.

    Chattanooga Hamilton County TN one million dollar home sales since 2006 are steady. The market inventory is all together a different matter. There are currently 59 active properties for sale in Hamilton County priced $1,000,000 or greater. The sales are pacing 1.5 per month. So there is over 3 years of inventory currently. The lesson is that newer homes sell and location matters greatly.

  • Top 5 Home Selling Neighborhoods Hamilton County TN 2013

    Top 5 Home Selling Neighborhoods in Hamilton County TN 2013
    Top 5 Home Selling Neighborhoods

    Top 5 Home Selling Neighborhoods Hamilton County TN 2013.  The time period of sales is first 8 months of 2013.  I am writing this September 4, 2013.   The top 5 in number of homes (no age or price involved) sold are as follows:

    1. Hamilton on Hunter  58  (25 of those are Hamilton on Hunter North)

    2. One North Shore  34  (this is a condominium complex)

    3. Black Creek  23

    4. Stonewall Farms  22

    5.  Windstone 20 (10 are Windstone at Whisper Creek)

     

    Bell Development has two of the Top 5 Home Selling Neighborhoods Hamilton County TN 2013

    The number one winner is Bell Development’s Hamilton on Hunter.  Hamilton on Hunter is located off Hunter Road in Ooltewah.  The neighborhood is 26 years old and covers roughly 640 acres.  The newer Hamilton on Hunter North is approximately 275 acres.  The 58 home sales in 2013 range from $75,000 – $241,500.  The price per square foot ranged from $44 – $120.  Hamilton on Hunter North is zoned for Wallace A. Smith Elementary School, Hunter Middle, and Central High School.  Hamilton on Hunter enjoys newer construction and proximity to jobs at Volkswagen and Amazon.

    The number two winner is a great story for Chattanooga.  It is a condominium complex.  There are 34 condo sales so far this year at One North Shore.  The 2013 sales saw a low of $149,500 and a high of $374,000.The average price per square foot is $217.  I shared a few insights in this former article about One North Shore.  I was really impressed with the level of services and amenities One North Shore offers its owners.  One North Shore enjoys location near downtown and it’s adjacent to parks, retail and grocery.

    The third place finisher is Black Creek Mountain.  Black Creek Mountain is a golf course community in Lookout Valley.  Lookout Valley is less than 10 minutes from downtown Chattanooga.  New homes are under construction as a new developer makes their way up Aetna Mountain.  The neighborhood is 13 years old and is home to Black Creek Golf.  Club house expansion, varied price points and styles, combined with location near downtown are all continued draws to this community.  The 2013 price range is from $114,000 condo to $655,000 single family home.

    Fourth place goes to Stonewall Farms.  Stonewall Farms is another Bell Development.  It is located in Hixson.  Stonewall Farms is a more traditional neighborhood with home prices from $179,900 to $334,000 for 2013 sales.   Stonewall Farms is 10 years old.  Half of the home sales in 2013 were new home sales.  New homes in Stonewall Farms are selling on average at $119 per square foot.

    Fifth place goes to Windstone.  Windstone is a golf course community located in Ooltewah. (Important Note: Windstone is also in Catoosa County, GA or Ringgold , GA.  If we included all of Windstone there would be 30 sales year to date.  But this story is about Hamilton County only).  I wrote this article about homes at Whisper Creek in Windstone.   The 2013 sales ranged in price from $200,000 to $422,000.  Newer construction in Whisper Creek is averaging $140 per square foot.

    In summary, all of the Top 5 Home Selling Neighborhoods Hamilton County TN 2013 enjoy a decent amount of newer construction.  There are new homes being built in 4 of them.  One North Shore is only 5 years old and it is enjoying growth of downtown living with a strong dose of amenities and an excellent marketing campaign.  Top 5 Home Selling Neighborhoods Hamilton County TN 2013 list was compiled using the Multiple Listing System (MLS of Chattanooga Association of Realtors).  Only Realtor assisted sales were considered in the data.

     

  • Working on About Me Brian R. Kelly

    Working on About Me Brian R. Kelly. My current About Me Page is like many. It expresses the victories and accomplishments of what is mostly a successful real estate career path. (can you say Resume?) But if you really want to know About Me, then I need to tell some additional stories.Brian

    A biography of my life would read like home town kid done good. At least up until 2007. The circumstance of the real estate market changed. My decisions became more challenging and I made multiple bad personal, money and real estate decisions. A stupid decision was to enter into credit card debt to pay bills in the short term. Instead of being realistic about my current situation I turned to my entrepreneur heart and started businesses outside my acquired skill sets. More poor decision making. That lead to $140,000 in un-secured debt.

    My best decision was re-dedicating my life to God and surrendering my prideful spirit. I left arrogance and my selfish spirit at the foot of the cross. God was able to start using me again to help others.  Real estate is a fairly deep skill set for me, so I  started Liberty Commercial Real Estate Company with a partner in 2008.  I started Liberty Homes Chattanooga in 2012.

    I have been able to serve home sellers and buyers recently. The unsecured debt of $140,000 is down to $80,000 and falling. God is very good!

    Why do I work? What am I passionate about?

    I love challenges. I am creative. I love thinking about the vision of a better future. I love encouraging people and families. Leaving good things behind for future generations gets me excited. I love research.  So helping people market their house to sell and helping folks dig to find their new home is something I enjoy.

    I believe that marketing and advertising is changing dramatically.  In order to best serve serve my clients and customers, I am creating massive content.  Exposure to smart phones is quickly becoming the “game” for maximum marketing punch.  Too often I am seeing owners really wondering “Why” are they spending so much money on real estate agents.  Realtors are comfortable in patterns.  We all are.  But let’s face it, the way we find information about homes is changing Quickly!

    I really believe God challenged me to write a blog post for 45 days straight. He built me, so He knows how to lead me where I can help others.

    A few childhood stories so you know my spirit.

    Failure event in life: I failed to make the second cut on my Junior High basketball team. Coach Hawkins, of the Signal Mountain Eagles, came back to me in science class two weeks later and offered me a spot on the team because some folks left team. I told him no. Basically, with the attitude you didn’t want me then, can’t have these mad basketball skills now. Bad decision – ruined a great NBA career.

    Success event in life: I made the cut for the Chattanooga Youth Symphony as a trumpet player. I remember the first time walking into the practice hall and hearing the strings play Christmas music. I thought I was in a living recording (a record – for the older than iTunes generation).

    Failure event in life: First day on the job clearing trees with a Stihl chain saw. I failed to understand that standing 4 feet in the air on a partially felled tree while cutting a tree above my head was a bad idea. (Visions of Wiley Coyote are appropriate here) I wondered why Hercules (honest – his Mama named him, and trust me he was most likely a very large child) stopped work to watch me cut a simple tree. A few seconds later I realized he was watching mostly for entertainment value. Fortunately for me I still have all my appendages and all that I lost that day was the wind in my lungs and my pride. (Wish pride had stayed there…reference story above).

    Success event in life: Senior class beauty of Red Bank High School 1981, Mary Dee, asked yours truly to the Sadie Hawkins Dance. Saying “Yes” changed my life forever for the better.

    I am approaching 5 decades of life. Failures and successes are behind me. I will wake up Lord willing tomorrow. I am excited about the possibilities and so hopeful about the younger generation coming up. I will surrender my will and report for duty and my orders. I will still be working on About Me Brian R. Kelly.

  • LegalShield Small Business Plan Protects Real Estate Brokerage

    LegalShield Small Business Plan Protects real estate brokerageLegalShield Small Business Plan protects real estate brokerage. Broker/owners have a lot of risks. We are dealing with the public and emotional property and transaction issues. Many problems are covered after the fact of lawsuit. Legal problems are prevented with my Legal Shield small business coverage plan.

    The greatest value of LegalShield’s Small Business Plan is the ability to pick up the phone and ask questions regarding hiring and firing, worker’s compensation, contract review, joint ventures, city zoning, vendor issues, etc. I do not have to worry about choosing the correct attorney for the question and then dealing with the aggravation of paying an unknown amount for the advice. I know what the bill will be each month and I know if the lawyer does not know the answer they will research the issue and get back with me. I was amazed at the research completed by the Tennessee law firm for an issue related to an unlicensed investor purchasing an option. The law firm did a great deal of research on Tennessee law as it related to previous court cases and specific language in the state real estate code.

    My real estate company has general liability and errors and omissions insurance. The Legal Shield policy accomplishes a few things for me as a business owner, which are as follows:

    1. Valuable research and answers to unlimited questions during business hours. Prevention of future problems.
    2. Review of agreements and signed contracts.
    3. Legal correspondence. Writing letters to get things accomplished.
    4. 75 Hours of Pre-Trial and Trial Defense if company is named defendant in civil action.
    5. 25% discount on any additional legal fees if needed.

    One of my agents and my company was sued by an investor purchaser this year. My E&O company and Legal Shield worked together to help me defend the suit. The suit was dismissed and I was a relieved broker.

    I grew up around the real estate business since the 70s. I have been serving in the real estate brokerage business since 1991. The family real estate business has seen thousands of property transfers. In 2006 the company had 14 office locations and over 400 agents and over $20 Million in commissions collected. I am not saying this in a boastful way, I am saying I know what it is like to see 5 figure legal bills on your Profit and Loss statement. In have been in court representing a seller defendant and I have had to go to court to sue a developer/builder to collect earned commissions not paid. Hind sight 20/20, I could have saved much money using the Small Business Plan of LegalShield.

    But, no time like the present. I started a small real estate brokerage firm and now I do use the Small Business of Legal Shield plan to protect it. I found out about the plan from an investor attorney who has the plan for his property management business. I purchased a family plan to protect my son going away to college. I liked it so much, I bought the small business plan and then decided to sell it to others as an extra income. LegalShield does not solve all your business problems, but used well, they can save you lots of time and money in legal fees. Check out my website to find out more about the plan. Call me if you want to find out why I choose LegalShield Small Business Plan to protect my real estate brokerage.